The space that is currently the Inland Oasis Community Center did not come with a commercial kitchen.  However, it has long been a goal of Inland Oasis to be able to provide meals for our neighbors, as well as host events and fundraisers in our own facility.  Therefore, we began working on converting a section of the space into a commercial kitchen.  It is far from complete, but with the support and generosity of our community, we can make this dream a reality.
Having a commercial kitchen will allow us to:
  • Provide meals to our neighbors.  As a nonprofit, we are able to provide one free meal a week to our neighbors that use the West Side Food Pantry.  Once our kitchen has been commercially licensed, however, this will not only take the form of sit-down meals, but we can also prepare recipes using staples that are often on the shelves of the West Side Food Pantry and give out samples with recipe cards to our neighbors.  There are often questions about what can be done with a pound of dried beans, or how best to prepare fingerling potatoes, so offering examples of healthy, quick, and easy meals would be very beneficial. 
  • Enhance our own fundraising efforts.  The kitchen as it stands has been outfitted with equipment generously donated to us by the community.  However, most of it is residential quality and while it is functional, there's only so much a chef can do with the limitations we currently have.  By upgrading the equipment, we will be able to elevate our own events and fundraisers, and provide more efficient and professional experiences for our community.
  • Rent the kitchen.  There are currently a limited number of commercial kitchens to rent in Moscow, and we aim to add to that pool.  We want to be of use to chefs, caterers, and anyone that needs access to a commercial kitchen to prepare food for events and markets.